Review – Batman: The Scottish Connection
Review – Batman: The Scottish Connection. Steeped in Scottish legend, this startling tale – the first Batman tale set in the UK is a 90s classic
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Review – Essential Judge Dredd: Origins
SUMMARY Opening with a perilous prologue of secrecy and bad dreams in The Connections, the race is on to deliver a mysterious package to the Grand Hall of Justice. What follows is a furious road mission of high importance that could change the laws of Mega City One and offers a shocking history lesson on the origins of immediate justice. ART Kev Walker brings the neo-noir dystopian crime thriller to Dredd with his dark and minimalistic style. While it can be difficult to fully decipher what’s going on at times, that only adds to the mystique and drama of the short story. While Ezquerra’s flare for bombastic scenery and iconic chins is no secret, it’s the beautiful subtlety of his characterisation that serves as a narrative structure all on it’s own; the contrasting usage of polished colouring and rough shading delivering the arc of Dredd as a seasoned and grizzled veteran with a strict regiment for principles and upholding traditional laws. WRITING Despite what the title suggests, that being an essential deep dive into the origins of Judge Dredd, I believe newcomers or casual fans may struggle to keep up with the moving parts of the narrative and multitude of characters throughout. Coming off more like a love letter to existing fans of the titular badass – and an intimately written one at that, those without the experience may be left with more questions than answers to this deep and grizzly story. That being said, the events that take place throughout this collection do an incredible job of bridging the gap between fantastical science-fiction and nail-bitingly realistic non-fiction. Like we’re one quaking domino away from setting off a chain of probable actualities for the future based on this Wagner’s series. OVERALL In conclusion, Essential Judge Dredd: Origins puts you in the gruelling position of a Judge in early training, suddenly thrown into the line of fire unprepared. If you can withstand the direct heat of this bloody and scorched battlefield and brave the cold of this callous and unrelenting tale of immediate judgement, then you’re fit to be a Judge and learn the secrets of how it all came to be in a fascinatingly unique story for the time that still holds up today. [yasr_multiset setid=1] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1] Let us know in the comments your thoughts on Essential Judge Dredd: Origins as well as your origins with Judge Dredd. Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE
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Review – King Spawn #1
SUMMARY After a ruthless bombing of a school by a completely normal teacher, Spawn suspects a higher power at work as opposed to the enigmatic human condition. With more carnage to come, he sets out to connect the dots of the homicide. All the while more angels and demons are slithering through the cracks of the locked deadzones, the only question is who has the key? ART With so many links to the chains surrounding Spawn, the artists made sure to keep each story’s style unique apart from their collective brutality. You can’t turn a page without someone exploding or turning into mush! WRITING While not technically a fault of the comic, it feels like entering into the Avengers: Endgame of Spawn without the homework. I can’t tell if the drama and horror is amplified through Lewis’ & McFarlane’s biblical prophecy of an imminent apocalyptic war or my bewilderment while getting thrashed by deep and constant lore. Don’t be fooled by the #1 tag on this comic, this is quite literally the end of the beginning of King Spawn. In an interesting turn for Spawn, Lewis gives the main story a more grounded and gritty approach with a dose of noir tension. Giving this fantastical bloodbath a more realistic and unsettling murder mystery akin to the work of David Fincher. OVERALL In conclusion, King Spawn #1 is a bombastic and righteous addition to the new Spawn collection. With viscerally designed details and artwork crowned with traumatic excitement throughout, all you can say is Long Live The King! If you are a long running die hard Spawn fan, you’ll have no problem in falling in love with this installment. For newer or more casual fans, this may be a head scratcher that requires patience to make sense and in time I’m sure this universe will deliver in spades. [yasr_multiset setid=1] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1] Let us know in the comments your thoughts on King Spawn #1 and be sure to check out our review for Spawn’s Universe #1! Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE
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Creator Interview – Gordon Rennie
Introduction Hey folks and welcome to the another written BGCP creator interview. We are lucky enough to be chatting today with Gordon Rennie. Gordon Rennie is an incredibly talented artist from the Scotland. He has worked in the comic book and videogame industries respectively for the last 30 years. His credits include: Judge Dredd Rogue Trooper Killzone Splatterhouse Aliens vs Predator As well as multiple other cool titles that you can find over on Amazon. Interview BGCP: Hi Gordon, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. Would you mind starting off by telling us a bit about yourself, your educational background and your career? Gordon Rennie: My education? A useless arts degree from a Scottish redbrick university, guaranteed to get you nowhere at the point I got it in the late 80s.I started doing interviews and reviews for the UK comics press – back in the days when that was an actual thing and they paid actual money – which is something that most frustrated writers end up doing. Warren Ellis was starting out at the same time, working for the same people. One of those comics press mags was Speakeasy, which was morphing into the short-lived Blast comic, that was part of that early 90s surge of (equally short-lived) ‘mature’ comics like Crisis and Revolver. I pitched some comic strip ideas to the editor and he bought just about everything I offered him.And that was it. I was a professional comics writer. It seemed a lot easier in those days… BGCP: You obviously began your career in the comic industry with Sewer Patrol releasing in 1991. Could you tell us how that first gig came about and what you learned from that early experience? Gordon Rennie: It was the first thing to appear in print, but it wasn’t the first professional thing I wrote. I had already by then written the first chapters of White Trash and Sherlock Holmes & The Curious Case of the Vanishing Villain, both of which would appear in the last issue of Blast and then be picked up by as separate comics in their own right by Tundra. Trust me, they were much better and more memorable stories than Sewer Patrol, which was basically a sort of dumb and disposable Future Shock thing. Sewer Patrol did have one notable thing about it; I didn’t get paid for it. It appeared in the last issue of Toxic, and the spivs in charge of that comic sent me three post-dated cheques for it, all of which bounced, of course. So early on in my career I learned a valuable lesson from it; don’t believe or work for spivs. BGCP: Just a couple of years after that, you managed to score a gig writing for 2000AD with Missionary Man. How did that opportunity come about? Did you apply for that yourself or did 2000AD seek you out? Gordon Rennie: Well, it was the Judge Dredd Megazine, not 2000AD. I was still blacklisted from 2000AD at that time, as a result of having written too many mean reviews of it in previous years. I sometimes think Megazine editor David Bishop mainly hired me to spite his erstwhile colleagues at 2000AD, all of whom would be gone from there within a few years.I had pitched David a few things, all of which he rejected in his famously blunt style of the time. He liked Missionary Man, though – a sort of Pale Rider/High Plains Drifter apocalyptic western set in the Cursed Earth wasteland of Judge Dredd’s world. My main stroke of luck on it was David diving it to Frank Quitely as his fist mainstream comics work. Those first Missionary Man stories really aren’t very good story-wise, but – much to my chagrin, keep on getting reprinted due to the Quitely artwork. BGCP: You worked on and off with 2000AD for a good number of years following this. How was your experience working with them as a company? Gordon Rennie: Great. They pay regularity and on time – which, trust me, is the main thing after my early experience with the Toxic spivs – and I get to do a lot of hopefully fun and interesting stories in the comic I grew up reading. How we laugh at the time I was in no uncertain terms told I’d never ever work for Tharg. BGCP: Going through your body of work, I notice that you have written for a good number of licenced properties. How does that affect your creative control if at all? Are there certain rules laid out by the company that you have to stick to before you plot out your storyline? Does it vary depending on the property that you are writing for? Gordon Rennie: Have I? Warhammer, of course. Some Doctor Who. What else? Predator and some other Dark Horse stuff.It really does depend on the IP and how much control the holder wants to exert on it. Some just want the licence money and then don’t really care what you do in your silly comic, and some have very definite ideas on what you can and can’t do with their property. Games Workshop are pretty possessive with their Warhammer IPs, but the most ferocious I’ve ever encountered is – probably unsurprisingly – Lucsasfilm. I worked on a Star Wars game and while I never answered to Lucasfilm directly, their comments and directives were very much passed on to me by the games developer and it was clear they looked at everything I was doing on the game. They seemed to like what I was doing because, rather flatteringly, they told the developer to bring me back to do some more extra dialogue work on the game that the developer had wanted to do in-house. BGCP: Do you have a favourite IP that you have enjoyed working with the most? Gordon Rennie: Judge Dredd, Doctor Who and Star Wars, which were the holy trinity of my growing-up years and which I’ve been lucky enough to all write for. Trust
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Review – Kang the Conqueror #1
Review – Kang the Conqueror #1 Writers – Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing Artwork – Carlos Magno & Espen Grundtejern Cover Art – Mike Del Mundo Variant Covers – Todd Nauck, Skottie Young Publisher – Marvel Comics Release Date – 18 August 2021 Intro THE ORIGIN OF KANG! The man called Kang the Conqueror has been a pharaoh, a villain, a warlord of the space ways and even, on rare occasions, a hero. Across all timelines, one fact seemed absolute: Time means nothing to Kang the Conqueror. But the truth is more complex. Kang is caught in an endless cycle of creation and destruction dictated by time and previously unseen by any but the Conqueror himself. A cycle that could finally explain the enigma that is Kang. And a cycle that begins and ends with an old and broken Kang sending his younger self down a dark path… Writing After the finale of LOKI it was only fitting that we had a Kang the Conqueror series. And I was eager to see what Marvel had in store. There have been plenty of storylines over the years with Kang and certainly he is described as one of the Avengers’ ultimate villains. That being said I was curious to see what writer’s Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing would bring to the table. This is a fascinating first issue with a contemplative look at a young Nathaniel Richards in the 31st Century. When he encounters Kang, the older version of himself offers guidance and from the there, things start to unravel. This is certainly a series that I can see Marvel fans thoroughly enjoying. And given the success of LOKI, I’m sure some fans will be desperate to read more about this character. Artwork The artwork is very much of what you would expect from Marvel Comics. And certainly the work of Carlos Magno and Espen Grundtejern captures Kang perfectly. It’s always interesting when you have more than imagining of the same character in a universe and how they are portrayed. And this was done to great effect. As you can imagine the colourings of Green and Purple that we associate with Kang are prominent throughout. And I liked the way that these were utilised for the captions, as a constant reminder of who Nathaniel Richards is destined to become. Overall Kang the Conqueror #1 is a fascinating look back at the early beginnings of Nathaniel Richards in the 31st Century. And given his introduction (in some guise) in the MCU, it’s only fitting that Marvel have released this series. The creative pairing of Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing combine to great effect to bring us what is a complex character, with the potential to explore multiple storyline possibilities. This is certainly a book that I can see Marvel fans thoroughly enjoying. And given the success of LOKI, I’m sure some fans will be desperate to read more about the character. If you enjoyed our review of Kang the Conqueror #1 then leave a comment or rating below. [yasr_multiset setid=1] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1] Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Discord and join our official Facebook Group. Check out our new Podcast and subscribe to the channel on Youtube, Spotify, Apple and Google. Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews and News from Glasgow, Scotland, UK and the US, HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE If you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE www.bigglasgowcomicpage.com
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Review – Defenders #1
Review – Defenders #1Storytellers: Al Ewing & Javier RodríguezInks: Álvaro López & Javier RodríguezDesign: Cory Petit & Jay BowenLetters by Joe CaramagnaPublisher – MarvelVariant Covers: Marcos Martín, Rob Liefeld, Ron Lim & Israel Silva, Peach Momoko, Peach Momoko & Dean White , Carlos Pacheco w/ Rafael Fonteriz & Rachelle RosenbergAvailable for purchase now on Amazon SUPERSTARS AL EWING & JAVIER RODRÍGUEZ REUINITE FOR A COSMOS-COLLIDING JOURNEY! When existence itself faces extraordinary threats, it needs an extraordinary defence! That’s when you call… THE DEFENDERS! Doctor Strange and the Masked Raider take a non-team of Marvels weirdest, wildest heroes on a mission that will uncover the hidden architecture of reality itself! This cosmos was not the first to exists… but if the DEFENDERS can’t track Marvel’s oldest villain through the deepest trenches of time – it might be the last. Storytellers: Ál Ewing & Javier Rodriguez Defenders #1 begins with an upside-down, meditating Steven Strange doing his daily tarot reading, only to be knocked back to reality by a gun pointed at his head. After a short-lived scuffle, the Master of Magic finds himself face to face with the Masked Raider who brings with him a warning. Dark magic has been let loose with the power to alter history itself, it must be contained. It is up to our heroes to assemble an unusual cast of Defenders to move through time, chasing and containing the threat before it causes lasting harm to the world as they know it. With the help of his tarot deck, the good Doctor calls Defenders of the past to his side with every card pulled. Enter: the Silver Surfer, Harpy & Cloud. The introductions of the story and characters in shorter runs can be a tricky line to walk. This issue leans heavily into the introduction, choosing to get the exposition out of the way early to allow a greater focus on the threat further down the line. This trade-off can feel sluggish at times, padding most of the pages with information-heavy monologues and an explanatory flashback. This is not to say the book isn’t well written. I do feel like the story was explained rather than taking me along for the ride. Despite this, this issue is a great choice purely based on the art. Inks: Álvaro López & Javier Rodríguez This book is STUNNING! The design of each page deliberately defies the usual formula, carrying the story through intricately detailed panels, spread in interesting layouts that add to the off-kilter nature of Strange’s home. As expected with anything involving the Sorcerer Supreme, every piece is larger than life. The colours are expertly applied, keeping even the most shadowy of panels lit in an enchanting glow. This is the best-looking comic I’ve read in quite some time. Everything is so stylised and eye-catching making even the slower, exposition-heavy pages worth the read. Overall Thoughts…. Defenders #1 is interesting but doesn’t unfold naturally, making some of the dialogue a drag to read. Although, It is a joy it is to look at. The concept isn’t anything we haven’t seen before but sometimes tried and true is a comfort to read.Ultimately, this issue didn’t have me chomping at the bit for more. that aside, I have high hopes for this run and will grab the next issue for the art alone. Let us know if you enjoyed our Review of Defenders #1 if you read the book or rate it yourself. [yasr_multiset setid=1] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1] Look out for this comic at your Local Comic ShopBuy tickets for BGCP Comic-Cons in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETSCheck out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HEREIf you want to be part of the BGCP community, Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc then click HERE
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Review – Batman ’89 #1
Review – Batman ’89 #1. Step back into the Gotham of Tim Burton’s seminal classic Batman movies! Batman ’89 as Harvey Dent plots to take down Batman
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Creator Interview – Chris Evenhuis
Introduction Hey folks and welcome to the first ever written BGCP creator interview. We are lucky enough to be chatting today with Chris Evenhuis. Chris Evenhuis is an incredibly talented artist from the Netherlands. He has worked in the comic book industry since the late 1990s. His credits include: Darkness: Resurrection Wynonna Earp Monstro Mechanica GI Joe And concept art for Overlord 2 As well as multiple other cool titles that you can find over on his socials: Insta: https://www.instagram.com/chris_evenhuis/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chris.evenhuis Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisEvenhuis?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Interview BGCP: Hi Chris, thank you for taking the time to speak with us. Would you mind starting off by telling us a bit about yourself, your educational background and your career? Chris Evenhuis: Hi there, I’m Chris Evenhuis and I’m a comic artist and illustrator based in The Netherlands. My education wasn’t art-related (I started out as an Environmental Scientist), so as an artist I’m self-taught. BGCP: How did you go from studying Environmental Art to becoming a full time illustrator? CE: I’ve been drawing comics ever since I was a kid and had some indie shorts published by age seventeen. However, teachers convinced me to also pursue a ‘real job’, something with better career prospects. So, I ended up graduating as an Environmental Scientist instead. But by that time, the social climate in The Netherlands had shifted and jobs in that field kinda dried up. This meant that I ended up mostly jobless anyway. Thankfully I was able to move on to video games, where I worked as a concept artist for several years. Until I moved on again to Franco/Belgian comics, and eventually US comics as well. BGCP: Who are your main influences when it comes to your art? CE: This one’s difficult to answer because for a large part it depends on what type of project I’m working on. I do tend to see influences from Alphonse Mucha and Steve Dillon in my own work, but I’m not sure others would agree? BGCP: You have a really distinct art style in all of your work. Did you intentionally hone this style or is that how you have always drawn? CE: Thank you so much, that’s one of the nicest things I could hope for as an artist. It’s a combination of gradually developing a style that all at once feels natural, tells a clear story and helps making deadlines. Over the years I’ve found myself mostly looking for things to remove from my rendering, trying to find a style that has the least amount of ‘distraction’. It used to have a lot more details and cross-hatching, things like that. Lately my focus has shifted more to bold lines and shapes, and clear movements and emotions. It’s an ongoing process which I really enjoy. BGCP: Do you have a favourite part of the illustration process? CE: My favourite parts are coming up with ideas and then at the end, finishing them. Everything in between is usually a terrible struggle and oftentimes almost like solving math problems. BGCP: I have always been amazed at how talented comic artists like yourself are able to capture detailed expressions and convey complex emotions in a still frame. How do you go about tackling this? CE: Thank you! This is possibly my favourite aspect of drawing comics. First of all, I’ll ask the writers I work with as many questions as feels appropriate about what their characters are like other than what the scripts says about them. Anything could be helpful: favourite breakfast, pet peeves, weird habits, taste in music, type of friends etc. Everything else I will then make up on my own. So I’ll just imagine how each individual character would move and react to different situations. Sometimes, I’ll physically act out scenes on their behalf to figure out the expressions, gestures, movements across a sequence of panels and such. What I’m hoping to achieve by this is to create characters that – just from the way they look, move and express themselves – reveal parts of their personal stories on top of the one that’s in the script. BGCP: Out of the multiple different comics that you have worked on, which was your favourite? CE: I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with some of my favourite writers in the industry. I’ve gotten the chance to work on some of the most fun books I can imagine. I have loved every single one of them, and also did some of my proudest work in each of them. Especially Wynonna Earp and GI Joe, but overall my favourite is probably still Monstro Mechanica. This is my creator-owned series with G.I. Joe writer Paul Allor and colour artist Sjan Weijers. The series is about Leonardo da Vinci, his female apprentice and their wooden robot bodyguard. There’s something special about getting to create every single thing from the ground up. BGCP: When it comes to working on a licenced comic such as GI Joe, do you have to stick to a certain art style, or is your own unique art style embraced? CE: The art style can be pretty flexible; GI Joe had already seen quite a diverse range of styles throughout its different runs at IDW before I came on board. The most important thing is how well the art and writing style mesh together and I think Paul and I make a pretty great team in that regard. BGCP: Are there any comic book titles that you would like to work on in the future? CE: I’ve always felt Paul and I would do a killer Rocketeer run. Another dream project I can think of would be a licensed comic series based on the 2001 video game ‘Clive Barker’s Undying.’ BGCP: You have also worked as a concept artists on a couple of videogames, how did that come about? CE: I had made a few friends in comics who later started a game developing studio and were looking for artists. Both the comics and games
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Review – Elvira Meets Vincent Price #1
Review – Elvira Meets Vincent Price #1. Elvira is back, with her most historic AND greatest co-star ever! The ghost of Vincent Price is a spirit with a mission
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Review – Spirits of Vengeance – Spirit Rider #1
Review – Spirits of Vengeance – Spirit Rider #1. SHE’S LIKE NO GHOST RIDER YOU’VE EVER SEEN! SHE IS KUSHALA—A SORCERER SUPREME, A SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE
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